Combined shelf and hanger rack



Jufiy 24%, 119230 A. S. DESERT! COMBINED SHELF AND HANGER RACK Filed Oct. 11, 1922 Patented July 24, 1923.

UNITED STATES ALEXANDER S. DESERTY, OF NEW YORK, N. "El, ASSIGNO-B TO ALEXANDER'ADERER,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COMBINED SHELF AND HANGER RACK.

Application filed October 11, 1922. Serial No. 593,714.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER S. Das- ERTY, a citizen of the United States,.residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Com, bined Shelves and Hanger Racks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a clothes rack attachment for shelves and more particularly to such an attachment designed to occupy a minimum of space within a clothes closet, showcase or the like, and to be supported and braced by or the like.

It has for its object the provision of a strong clothes rack, and to this end the shelf of a closet or showcase is utilized to support and brace the rack. Another object is the production of a rack for supporting clothes or the like which will occupy but a small space in a closet or showcase, and by means of which clothes or'other articles may be packed closely together so that the size of the closet may be reduced. These advantages are particularly desirable inmodern hotels, wherein economy of space occupied by closets is of prime importance.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear in the following description and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several figures of the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a shelf eX- tending the full width of the closet and showing the clothes rack of my invention supported thereby;

Figure 2 is a section through such a shelf showing a wooden strip attached to the under face of the closet shelf and having a clothes rack of my invention attached to-said strip;

Figure 3 is a section through the shelf of Fig. 1 showing the method of attachment of the clothes rack to the shelf;

Figure 4 is a section through the shelf and strip of Fig. 2 showing the method of mounting the rack; and

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are modified forms of means for attaching the rack to either the shelf or the strip.

Wh le I show and describe my invention a shelf in such a closet, showcase when building them, wherein the racks are inserted in the shelves or strips when these elements are placed in the closets; it is practically impossible for guests at the hotels to remove the same.

My invention may be said to comprise a shelf or a strip of wood for attachment thereto, a rack of special formation, shown herein as tubular, with means for the insertion in the rack of special hangers for clothes or the like, and means for quickly installing and economically attaching the rack to a shelf or'strip. These parts will now be described in detail. and their individual functions set forth, after which a recital of their conjoint use will be given.

The numeral 10 designates a shelf of a closet, showcase or the like, while 11 indicates the rack as a whole. The rack is made of two similar strips of metal, each comprising a lower substantially semi-circular section 13 and an upper or head section 12.

These portions of each strip may be directly joined or they may be connected by a short web 14. When the two strips are placed with their web portions in contact, as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 6, there are formed a lower tubular hanger supporting section and an upper substantially triangular head.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 3, the head 12 is inserted in the dovetail groove 15 formed in the shelf 10 throughout its length, and as shown in Fig. 1, the ends of the rack lie flush with the ends of the shelf in contact with the side walls of the closet or showcas My rack when so held can not be removed from the closet or showcase until the shelf itself is taken down.

At times it is not desirable to have racks extending the full width of the closet or showcase, but instead it is desirable to have the racks extend from the rear'wall of the closet or showcase to the front thereof. In

that. case the dovetail groove is formed in a strip or wood. as shown in Figs. 2 and 4 and is designated by the numeral 15, while the strip of wood which is fastened to the under face of the shelf 10 is designated by the numeral 10. The form of the rack employed in this instance is substantially the same as that shown in Fig. It will be appreciated. however, that the fit of the head 12 within the dovetail groove 15' is so tightthat it will be practically impossible for the guest to remove it from the closet of the hotel room.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 5. I have provided a shallow curved groove in the shelf or strip 101 and form my racks of a single substantially tubular member having an open lower end and with its back 121 resting in the shallow groove 151 and held in said groove'against movement by the screws 16.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 6, I have omitted the upper portion of the head 12 of Figs. 3, and 1, and formed the same of a pair of horizontal lugs 17, 17, connected to semi-circular lower sections by the webs 18, 18. The head thus formed fits within a T-groove in the lower face of the shelf 101.

In the form shown in Figure 7, the slotted tubular member 13 is riveted to narrow attaching plates 24 which in turn are secured to the underface of a shelf 10 by screws. Or the narrow plates 24 may be replaced by a single strip running the full length of the tubular member provided with apertures for attaching screws.

It will be appreciated the rack embodies a lower tubular section adapted to the ready insertion of hanger heads 19 at the ends of stems 20 supporting the hangers arms 21. Upon each side of the tubular section 11, there are provided keyhole slots 23, the lower ends of all of said keyhole slots communicating with the longitudinal main slot 22 formed by the non-meeting edges of the strips of which the rack has been made.

In all of the forms of my invention, it will be appreciated that the rack will be made of metal and preferably of two strips which may be joined together before being inserted or attached to a wooden shelf or strip. This joining of the two strips may be bysolder, spot welding or rivets. However, it is not necessary to so join the strips, as the groove of Figs. 3, 4: and 6 can be made of a size to snugly receive the metal strips and to hold the same in proper relationship to form the rack. It will be appreciated too that the wooden shelf or strip acts as a brace or reinforcing means for the rack throughout its length. The rack lies close to the under face of the shelf or strip and therefore takes up comparatively little space in a closet. In this position, it also utilizes to the fullest extent the height of the closet.

It will be seen therefore that I have provided a clothes hanger rack which can be used as a part of the equipment of hotel closets, which will be economical of the space in said closets, and which will be strong in use and hold a number of hangers.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a unit for use in clothes closets, showcases or the like, a shelf member having in its lower face a groove with a restricted mouth, and a hanger-supporting element in strip form, comprising a tubular section having in its side keyhole slots for the insertion and retention of headed stems of clothes hangers, said supporting element having a portion conforming in shape to said roove in said shelf member and lying therein throughout its length, whereby the supporting element is mounted and braced in close proximity to the lower face of said shelf member.

2. In a unit for use in clothes closets, showcases or the like, a shelf member having in its lower face a dovetailed groove, and a hanger-supporting element in strip form comprising a tubular section provided with a longitudinal slot in its bottom and with a series of keyhole slots in its side communicating with said longitudinal slot, and a head section conforming in shape to the groove in the shelf member, and adapted to lie therein, whereby the tubular section is held in close proximity to the lower face of the shelf member and is supported and braced thereby.

In testimon whereof I aflix my signature.

AL XANDER S. DESERTY. 

